Juan Posas Jr., Cocaine Trafficking, Texas 2022

Former CBP Officer Guilty of Cocaine Trafficking

A former Customs and Border Protection officer has been sentenced to 162 months in prison for trafficking cocaine in McAllen, Texas. Juan Posas Jr., a 51-year-old from Raymondville, was convicted of trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to do so.

A federal jury deliberated for two hours before convicting Posas on June 27. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered Posas to serve 162 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

The government pointed out that Posas knew the consequences of his actions. At trial, the jury heard recordings of phone conversations in which Posas helped plan the drug smuggling attempt.

Posas met with Alexis Soria-Soria, a 25-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in the United States, at a Home Depot in Weslaco on June 6, 2022. Soria transferred a box containing approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine into Posas' truck.

The defense attempted to convince the jury that Soria approached Posas in the parking lot and simply asked if he wanted free fruits, then placed a box of fruits in his car. However, the jury did not believe his claims and found him guilty as charged.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jongwoo Chung and Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.

Posas will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/former-officer-imprisoned-smuggling-cocaine